Racist
by scarlet phlame
Summary: Earth's first contact with aliens doesn't go so well. In trying to protect an alien from an angry mob, Rose and the Doctor find there are consequences in being in a time period where people hate aliens... and being an alien with two hearts and orange blood. ONESHOT. Whump...


The Doctor bit his lip, surveying the area as Rose stepped out. He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Might've gotten the date wrong," he mumbled.

"When's it, then?" Rose asked.

He looked her in the eye. "3047. First contact."

"First contact with what?" Rose wondered.

"Aliens," he murmured.

Almost surprisingly, Rose wasn't put off by this fact. She actually seemed excited.

"First contact? That's great!" Rose said.

"Yeah, yeah..." the Doctor said, but there wasn't the usual cheeriness behind his voice.

"By first contact, you don't mean they're... attacking us, right?!" Rose asked nervously.

"No, no, _you_ aren't getting attacked," the Doctor said gravely. "But... fascinating history behind the first contact. Aliens come 'round to settle. 'Course, you humans, with your prejudices and pride... sorry, that's a book... but, you've never been the most... accepting race when it comes to differences."

Rose frowned. "How do you mean?"

The Doctor ignored her. "'Course, you're not the only ones with higher beliefs. Racism, and all that. Back on Gallifrey, humans weren't allowed during the-"

Rose grabbed him by the shoulders. "Doctor. What do you mean?" He paused for a moment, staring at her, then gave up and sighed. Her grip on his shoulders loosened.

"When aliens come to settle, there is a lot of... discrimination. Racism," the Doctor said slowly. "And a lot of it is very, very unfair. Aliens getting attacked in their home. Innocent ones. Children, mothers, parents, all found dead on the streets... and the killers aren't even punished. You treat them no differently than _rats_," he snarled.

Rose felt her heart drop. "But... weren't we past all that? Discrimination and all? We shouldn't be making the same mistakes we make during the Civil War!"

"First Contact is bad news for everyone," the Doctor mumbled. "Your technology is more advanced. Earth becomes a level 6 planet. That means it can exchange in intergalactic wars. Thousands of lives..." his voice trailed off.

"But we're here to fix that, yeah?" Rose asked, nervous. "We're gonna... prevent all this from happening."

"Rose," the Doctor said softly, "I can't change people's attitudes."

"You changed mine!" Rose shouted. "You... you can show 'em that..."

"I can't," he said. "I'm sorry."

"But it... it's not fair!" Rose blurted. "You're supposed to fix things! You're the Doctor!"

"I can't fix this," was all he said in response.

"Then what is the point of you?" she snarled, storming off.

"Rose, wait-" he jumped forward, as if to catch her, but she was running now.

* * *

Rose didn't stop walking. She walked for hours. She needed some proof, to know that the people around her weren't monsters. She wasn't going to let the Doctor barge in and call them _all_ bad. There had to be _someone_ good. _Anyone_.

"Ah, uh, excuse me," Rose said, walking up to a dark-haired woman standing by a bus stop. She racked her brain, trying to think of something to start a conversation. Maybe... Oh! "Do you have directions to the nearest... uh, rail system?"

The woman turned and smiled. Looked surprised, as if shocked anyone had even come up to her to ask in the first place. "'Course. Just two blocks north and then turn left on Planter's Lane."

"Okay, thanks," Rose said. Well, this person seemed nice enough. Maybe the Doctor was wrong. Maybe... maybe time had changed, and people had learned. Maybe-

Quite suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the person in front of her morphed into something entirely different. Spiderlike in appearance, giant torso and a small head.

"Wha-" Rose felt her jaw drop. "What..."

"Shoot!" the spider hissed. "Perception filter!"

She watched the spider fiddle with something on its wrist, then morph back into a human.

Rose clapped a hand over her mouth. She hadn't been talking to a human. She'd been talking to an alien... no wonder they were so surprised. No one probably even talked to them in the first place. "Oh, my God..."

Back in humanoid form, the woman studied her. "You..."

There was an angry shout from the block. "Alien!"

Then another.

Everything happened so quickly. A small crowd of about thirteen people formed around the bus stop, with Rose and the woman trapped in the centre.

"Grab them!"

"Get them!"

"Aliens!"

"I'M HUMAN!" Rose screamed at the top of her lungs. Feeling even worse when this caused all the crowd's attention to go to the woman- alien beside her.

Someone grabbed Rose's wrist and she screamed.

"No watch," the person said. "She's human."

"DOCTOR!" Rose screamed.

The Doctor was there in almost an instant. Rose wasn't even sure how fast he'd gotten there. He backed Rose and the woman against the bench, telling Rose to go back-to-back in case someone tried to sneak up behind them, the woman sandwiched in between them.

Rose grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Now, if we all could just calm down," the Doctor said, fiddling around in his coat for the psychic paper. "I'm a city authority. And we have this... uh... alien under control. See?" He held out a piece of paper.

"That's a coupon for a free pizza!" someone shouted.

The Doctor looked at it. "Ah. Wrong one. Sorry. Will get my identification in just a tic-"

"Enough of this, he's no city authority, probably some alien lover! Get him!" someone screamed.

They all dove for the Doctor.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Despite herself, Rose leapt away from the tidal wave of angry strangers. Trying to protect the woman. Trying to figure out how to save the Doctor. Save... the Doctor.

She sucked in a breath. "What's your name?"

"I...Idina," the alien stuttered.

"Right," Rose said. "I need you to go to Cardiff. Once you're there, stand by... do you know what a rift is?"

The alien nodded. "I can detect one."

Rose shuddered. Trying to ignore the scene behind her. "I need you to go to Cardiff and find the rift. Once you're there, shout two words; 'Code Nine'. Can you do that for me?"

Idina nodded. Frantically. "Thank you."

"Go!" Rose pushed her, then whirled around, gasping at the sight.

The Doctor had hit his head against the concrete. Sticky orange blood covered his hand.

Everyone in the crowd seemed to freeze.

"_Oh, God_," Rose whispered.

"_HE'S AN ALIEN!_" someone screamed. "GET HIM!"

The crowd was huge now, made up of a myriad of both women and men, perhaps thirty of them, at the least.

Someone grabbed at the Doctor and punched him in the jaw. There was a crack and a shout of pain.

"Stop it!" Rose screamed. "You're hurting him!"

Someone turned around and glared. "Isn't that the point?"

"How do we know she in't one of those aliens, too?" Someone asked, jabbing a finger at Rose. The Doctor, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up suddenly.

"Leave her alone! She's human!" he sounded frantic. Rose hadn't ever heard him like that. "Come on, you've got me!"

"Stop egging them on!" Rose hissed, just as someone grabbed her hand and pricked her finger with a... sewing needle. "Sh*t!"

"Red," someone announced. "She's human." Whoever had spoken up seemed positively... confused. Confused as to why anyone would back up an alien.

"Yes, I am," she hissed. "And for once, I am not proud to be one." she kneeled down by the Doctor. "You know who this man is?" she screamed. "This is the Doctor! He has worked all his lives to save you all! Save Earth! He was there at the Battle of Canary Wharf! Without him, you wouldn't be here! You don't even know... how much he means to us all! How much he means to me!"

"Rose," the Doctor said, grabbing her. "It isn't going to stop them. You need to... ah... leave."

"Well, guess what? I'm never going to leave you. I made my promise long ago," Rose hissed.

Some people in the crowd seemed deterred by Rose's speech. Some others seemed more frantic. Suggesting to maybe kill both of them. Pretend it hadn't happened. Pass them both off as aliens.

BANG

There wasn't anything after the gunshot but silence. Rose just stared at the sticky orange blood seeping through the Doctor's jacket.

"Doctor? Doctor? DOCTOR?!"

Her speech was cut off as a large van whirled around the corner and out hopped Jack Harkness.

"Hope I'm not late," he growled. "Torchwood. United Nations. Now all of you? Get. The. F*ck. Out."

"You're just an alien as-" someone blurted, but Jack swung around and hit him square in the jaw with his fist.

"That's a warning!" he drawled. "Step away from the alien!"

Rose winced on those words. But this was Jack. Idina had actually helped her. Why, she wasn't sure.

The crowd parted.

"Help me lift him," he told Rose quietly. She did as instructed. They both carried him into the van. Rose didn't even bother to look back as the black doors closed.

* * *

"I actually hate them," Rose whispered as Jack laid out the Doctor on a cot in the medbay of the TARDIS. "I literally actually hate them." she wiped away a tear. "I didn't think I could ever actually hate anyone so much. But... I hate them all." she swallowed. "I...is he going to be all right?"

"Should be," Jack said quietly. "It's just a gunshot wound. Broken jaw. Luckily, the bullet missed his heart. Give him a day in here and he should recover."

Rose nodded. "I'm... I'm gonna stay with him. Yeah?"

"You should go eat something," Jack advised. "When did you land?"

"Couple hours ago," Rose said, voice hoarse from all the yelling. "How long have you been guarding the Rift?"

Jack shrugged. "Long enough."

"Well, I'm gonna stay with him," Rose mumbled. "Just like you stayed with the Rift. He would do the same thing for me, anyway. And... I hate them all."

Jack sighed. "Rose, haven't you learned? You can judge all of them..."

"Why not?" Rose hissed. There was a moment of silence. Then she exhaled. "Sorry. I just... I'm just so, so disappointed in them."

Jack nodded quietly. Exited the room.

And Rose waited. Rose waited. Hours and hours. Just waiting for him to wake up.

So when those bright, cheerful eyes of his finally opened, she knew it was worth it.

"So," he said, jumping out of the bed. "Where to next? I was thinking Barcelona..."

Rose nodded and smiled. It was easier. To run and pretend nothing at all had just happened.

Back to running.

* * *

_**I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry.**_

_**Anyway, R&R. And blame Piper Emerald for this one... -_-**_


End file.
